The NRA National Firearms Museum has many treasured firearms with long, intriguing histories. Among the most interesting of the Museum’s collection are the firearms that belonged to men who have held the highest office in the land, President of the United States. An avid enthusiast of firearms, Theodore Roosevelt served as the 26th president of the United States from 1901-1909.

President Roosevelt possessed a keen interest in firearms and the shooting disciplines. He was a Life Member of the National Rifle Association, and he taught proper shooting technique and stressed the importance of safety to his sons and to members of extended family. One of the most prized firearms among the many owned by Roosevelt was his Fabrique Nationale (Liege, Belgium) Model 1900 semi-automatic pistol.

Family tradition holds that this firearm was the gun of choice that President Roosevelt kept in his bedside stand during his years in the White House. The factory engraved .32 ACP caliber pistol bares mother-of-pearl grip panels can be viewed here at NRA Headquarters at the National Firearms Museum every day of the week. The Museum acquired this treasured firearm in 1986 by donation of Cornelius V.S. Roosevelt, grandson of the former president.